![]() ![]() There’s something about a cold, snowy winter that really makes them stand out from the crowd. Photo: Pussy willows are generally cold-climate plants … and they really have to be to be appreciated. (Willows are nowhere near the list of top allergy causers, but still…) Growing Pussy Willows Pussy willows (here Salix discolor) are generally cold climate plants and many will bloom right through the snow. Photo There is a downside to male willows, though: some people are allergic to their pollen. Even more interesting, male flowers bear multiple yellow stamens (red or pink in some species) that positively make the catkin glow. Also, they never produce the fluffy floating willow fuzz full of tiny seeds that burst out of female flowers later in spring and seem instantly drawn to dark fabrics hung on your clothesline. Not only are they often larger than female flowers, but they tend to keep their oval shape (in many species, female catkins droop). Now, I don’t want to sound sexist here, but male willows do make the prettiest catkins. Willows are dioecious (an annoying word with an excessive number of vowels) which simply means that male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. Male catkins covered in stamens on French pussy willow ( Salix caprea). Pussy willows are usually shrubs, some tall, some short, some ground-hugging. Their covering of dense hair is designed to protect delicate flowers from the cold and, inevitably, pussy willows come from cool to cold climates. Unlike most flowers, catkins have no petals. This type of inflorescence is called a catkin, a word derived from old Dutch for kitten. The “fur” is usually silvery to white hairs, likened to a kitten’s fur. Photo: Any willow ( Salix) with relatively large or striking furry flower clusters is likely to be considered a pussy willow. ![]() Weeping French pussy willow ( Salix caprea ‘Kilmarnock’). There is not one species of pussy willow, but many. Depending on where you live, they can be in bloom from January (in the mildest climates) to May (in the coldest regions). Photo: Bulbs have to wait for the snow to melt in order to bloom, but pussy willows jump the gun: they’ll bloom right through the snow, as soon as the ground beneath has begun to thaw. Japanese pink pussy willow ( Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’). But in many climates, they don’t even come close in bloom season to the earliest bloomers of all: the pussy willows. And there is no doubt they are early bloomers. Our willow sex ratio at the Arnold is skewed, with many more pollen-bearing plants than seed-bearing plants.When gardeners think of the first flowers of spring, they often have some of the spring bulbs in mind: snowdrops ( Galanthus), crocus ( Crocus), winter aconite ( Eranthis), etc. Pictured below are the pollen-bearing catkins of Salix udensis ‘sekka’ (Japanese fantail willow 671-67*A) and Salix gracilistyla (rosegold pussy willow 930-74*A), and a close-up of a female catkin of Salix cinerea (gray willow 60-95*B) showing the gaping maws of two-parted stigmas of the flowers. The male catkins conjure up a fireworks show, with beautiful yellow to orange to red anthers (pollen sacs) that then split open to display bright yellow pollen inside. These unisexual flowers are “reduced,” with no sepals or petals, and are borne in catkins, a type of inflorescence distinguished by large numbers of flowers in a compact arrangement. Willows are dioecious, with individual plants bearing either male (pollen-producing) or female (seed-producing) flowers. Prepare to get your feet wet and take in some of these willows while they are close to their peak of flowering. Hence, the core of the willow collection can be found around and in the wet meadow between Willow Path and Meadow Road. ![]() Willow species are most at home in moist to swampy conditions. Nothing announces the arrival of spring quite like the willows ( Salix) at the Arnold Arboretum. ![]()
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